The Election Commission is going to launch a campaign for casting votes through postal ballots for Bangladeshi expatriates, prisoners, on-duty election officials, members of law-enforcing agencies and media personnel in the upcoming parliamentary elections.
About 2.2 million voters in the country, as well as around 3 million Bangladeshi expatriate voters, could not vote in the last general elections as most of them did not know about the provision of casting votes using postal ballots, as per Article 27 of the Representation of the People Order, EC officials told the Dhaka Tribune.
Election Commissioner Mohammad Abu Hafiz said Bangladeshi expatriates who are registered voters in the country, personnel of law-enforcing agencies, on-duty election officials and prisoners could cast their votes using postal ballot papers.
Abu Hafiz said the commission had no immediate plans to introduce other methods of casting votes, such as online “e-voting”.
Hafiz also said eligible voters who were yet to get their names on the voters’ list, could still enlist at district election offices before the poll schedule is announced.
Meanwhile, many election officials and members of law-enforcing agencies have already submitted letters to the Election Commission with queries about casting votes during the elections, EC sources said.
EC officials said around 3 million Bangladeshi expatriate voters, 1 million members of law enforcing agencies, 800,000 election officials, 200,000 prisoners and 20,000 media personnel could not exercise their voting rights in the December 2008 polls. And many were also apprehensive about disclosing their voting choices through the post.
Thus, the commission has decided to make citizens aware about voting through postal ballots when it starts training of election officials, and during election campaigning, they added.
However, voters wishing to use postal ballots would have to apply to the returning officers in their own constituencies 15 days before the polls.